Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-12

The Ohio OIL Region and Its Prospects.
Cheap Gas to be Made Out Of Oil-Gos-
sip About a Great Manufacturing Re-
gion Of the Future.
Especial Correspondence
FosToRIA, o., July 4.
This town is the home of Elk Gov. Foster,
and it gets its name from the fact that Eos
ter's father was one Of its leading founders.
1t Is fifteen miles from Findlay, and it now
contains about 8, 900 people. Charley Foster
is still, as he has been for years, the moving
spirit Of this section OF the country. He is a
number of times millionaire in the first
place, a politician in the second, and thor
ougby enterprising business man in the
third. There are few big business enterprises
in Ohio that be has not hand in, and he is a
bold operator and Spectator. He has here
interests in the different manufacturing insti-
buttons of Fostoria, owns bank and a store
from which he got his nickname during his
gubernatorial campaign Of "Calico Charley,
and has lands, houses and gold galore. He is
one OF the leading members Of the North
western Gas company, which Is in fact a
branch of the Standard Oil company, and
which has already acquired the right to the
greatest part Of the immense natural gas re-
sources of this part of the country. Governor
Foster says that this company practically
owns the Ohio natural gas fields, and he tells
me that these fields, as far as can now be esti-
mated, contain fully 100000 acres Of land in
this part Of the state. They are about ten
miles wide and sixteen miles long.
10 1,oct for fba fry onHf Cvsa avn "
body" said he, "that this gas should be con-
trolled in this way, and predict that within
five years Findlay itself will be controlled by
them. We already own a great percentage
of the gas Of Findlay, and 1t is only ques-
ton of time"
"What do you think of the prospects of
FindlayW asked. i'i
II think it has good thing In its natural
gas, but no better than number Of other
towns in this territory. It has been extern
sively advertised and the people Of the coun-
try have come to think that there Is no gas
anywhere hereabouts save in Findlay. The
truth of the matter is that Findlay is on the
southwestern edge Of the gas territory and
we are on about the edge Of the middle Of it.
In one part Of Findlay there is no gas, and
the main street seems to be the dividing line.
We have gas here at Fostoria, within four
miles of the town, and we have piped it in so
that for all practical purposes we are as well
off as Findlay in this regard. We are laying
pipe around the town, from which we can
supply such manufacturing establishments as
come here. The trouble with Findlay il its
lack Of railroad facilities and 1t is our excel
lence in this regard TINT encourages us. We
have five different roads and have direct
access to all parts Of the country. Fostoria
is one OF the best railroad centers in Ohio,
and Findlay has practically only one road,
the Lake Erie and Western, though she has
branch lines running from the town to the
Cincinnati, Sandusky and Cleveland road
and the Indiana, Bloomington and Western
road.
al have no doubt the town will grow, as will
all Of the towns supplied with natural gas,
but think it has been overboomed and that
the reaction has come. ! understand they
have lad o.J i.,UvJ rev town lots, and that
the whole township is taken into the new
city. The people have grown wild in the real
estate craze Of the spring, and in fact we
have had considerable of craze here"
"What do you think Of natural gas as
fuelp
at is one Of the incest things the Almi ghty
ever made. 1t is used by us largely for heat
ing, and it costs us about onethiri the price
of coal. 1t is too good thing to be given
away, and it is such luxury that would
use it il it cost me five times the cost Of coal
1t is more Of luxury in the summer, too,
than in the winter. We can have fire so
easily and we have it whenever we want il.
Look at this grate!"
Governor Foster here pointed to CRATE at
the side of the room. 1t was a very pretty
affair, with back which did not show the
discoloration Of smoke, and in the bars Of
which was laid little pile of terra Gotta logs
cast in imitation Of wood. The governor
then stopped over, turned screw in the floor
and threw lighted match upon the logs.
They burst forth into blaze, and in an in
slant there was as pretty a wood fire for all
purposes as any one could wish.
"The gas gives forth powerful heat" the
governor continued, "and it can be graduated
at will 1t is the best fuel for glass making.
and its chcapness and its excellence in this re-
gard will eventually force all the glass fac
tories TO use it. 1t can be used for nearly
every thing that coal can. and It viii make an
immense saving in the manufacture of many
Kings. Large Touring mills are being built
acre at q cost of about S150,0OO. There are
others that are larger than these mills, but
there are none equal to them in equipment.
1t will give you some idea of their size to
know that fifty men will be employed in the
cooper shop connected with them to make
barrels for their product These mills will be
I'M with natural gas as a fuel, and it is ex-
pccted that there will be a saving OF per
ent. year on the capital stock which the
'ost of this gas will give over COAL 1t Is ex-
pected that better -four can be made from the
-vcnness of the heat furnished, and there will
no such state of cleanliness about the engine
"oons that the engineer can, If he wishes,
wear full suit of clean white duck all the
while and spend most Of his time in reading
he newspapers Instead of having four
riliy coal beavers continually throwing coal
to the furnace he will turn valve at the
art and tho heat will 60 on day and night
al lie, ami day until he turns it cff He
III increase it or lower it at will, and he can
ave through it the very perfection of motion
or lis engine"
l cha;tcd with Governor Foster about the
Ill regions of the state, and he told me that
10 thought the greatest coal oil regions of the
world wero located in this part of Ohio
Wood county is the latest oil territory devel-
ped, and the eli flows here ut such rate
hat the Standard Oil company has had to
pduce the prize To stO,) The rr0,lnction Pint